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Saturday, February 11, 2012

Beet Salad with Fennel and Lemon Relish

I just recently realized that beets and fennel are a great
combination, and beets also go well with lots of the other
anise-flavored herbs like tarragon and caraway. The lemon-fennel relish
is especially nice with Meyer lemons, which taste like a cross between
orange and lemon. The recipe makes more relish than you need for the
salad, so save it to serve with fish or chicken for another meal.

Preheat oven to 400F. Scrub beets well, and trim off tops and
tails. Cut small beets into quarters or halves, or larger beets into
1-inch chunks. Toss with 1 tablespoon oil and a little salt on a baking
sheet. Roast about 45 minutes, until the beets are tender.

Meanwhile, chop lemon and onion into about 1/4 inch dice. Trim the bottom and the stems from the fennel bulb, slice it in half lengthwise, then slice crosswise into thin strips. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet on medium flame. Cook onions, lemon
and fennel slices with fennel seeds until soft, about 5 minutes. Add
honey, water and salt, and simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed,
another 5 minutes or so. Adjust the amount of salt and honey as desired.

Set a handful of beets on each plate, top with some of the
fennel mixture, and sprinkle with parsley. Serves 2 to 4 as a side.

What's new?

I'm so excited... my article, "Eat Local for Cheap" (hint: eat more vegetables) won an EDDY Award! Each year, Edible Communities selects some of the best pieces from all the edible magazines around the country for these awards, and mine was selected as the Critics' Choice for Best Healthful Recipes.